Much Thanks 2012

Last week was Thanksgiving!  It was so great to have a nice long weekend and such funtivities with the family.  To start things off, why not a nice race to work up an appetite for an epic feast?  Amber didn't organize her usual race this year, instead handing over the reins to a young local fellow to put it together for his Eagle project, and for awareness of cancer (a young woman in their neighborhood was recently undergoing some treatment for it, sad).  It was a pretty great turnout, they said about 150-200 between both the 5K and the 1 mile, and Jonny, Melody, Julia, Gabe, Evy, Cami, Jake, Amber, Jillian, Ally and I all participated (Julie stayed home to get started on some delicious foods for later).  It was a fun race and a pretty nice course with just the right amount and length of uphills and downnills.  I started out pretty strong, though there were a gaggle of healthy teenagers ahead of me, but after about half a mile I pulled ahead of them, and there I stayed for the rest of the race!  I totally won!  I wasn't expecting it at all (certain persons who are brothers-in-law usually beat me, but certain persons were pushing strollers, so I took advantage of this opportunity).  It was actually not even quite 3 miles (2.95), and I kind of ran around the parking lot a little farther than the outlined course, crossing the finish line backwards, ha, but I thought that might make it closer to a full 5K, which it didn't really.  But anyway, I finished with a great time (20:48, though I finished out the 3.1 at 21:52, 7:04/mile), and it was fun, and let me just say that, though it may seem petty, there is something kind of satisfying about beating your junior high school bully in a years-later 5K by almost 15 minutes. Vindicated!!!  I have said many times before that if I could run a 7-minute mile in 8th grade, my life just might have turned out differently (which is a silly thing to say, I guess, since if ANYthing had been different than it was in ANYone's life, things might have turned out differently... still).  It was still a pretty validating feeling.*

Jake came in with Melody and Jonny et al. shortly behind.

Julia ran the whole thing!!!  Just kidding, she started running when they reached the parking lot.

Gabe likewise, though it was just far enough to make him start to lose interest about halfway through.

This is what happened when I asked Gabe to smile for the camera.

And then Amber and Cami appeared!  Amber was excited.

And Cami was pretty excited too.

I won!  1st place!  Go me!

This just looked kind of cool.  The tips of the antlers you see on the very bottom belonged to a festive decoration being worn by a minivan.

Then we had dinner!  Twas a feast.  I went home after the race to help The Wife make our contributions, and she even had a sudden inspiration to try a fresh pumpkin pie.  She likes to make the green bean casserole because it MUST be made with the right French-cut variety of green beans, and the yams are always a favorite of hers too.  So when our delicious things were ready we headed up to Mom's house.

Just look how cute she is.

Yams!

Green beans!

Impromptu pumpkin pie!

It was as delicious as always, and the company was great of course.  We played football (yes, even I!), ate way too much dessert, rested and played games, and even had an arts and crafts event with turkeys made of sweets.  Then, to really ring in the season, Mom and I played our infamous annual favorite, Sleigh Ride.

Check out Melody's sweet pass.  I wasn't playing at this point because I was behind the camera.  Props to me for my IT Crowd reference.

I can't remember whose hand is photobombing this picture, but I'm pretty sure it's Katy.  I took another one without, but this one had more character.

Le perfect plate.

Wife likes her pies.

Just because.

I have been known to be something of an artiste, you know.

No Mom, it doesn't sound like the Farley Family Reunion version.  Still, it wasn't our best.

I am ever so thankful for my family, the one I get to see on holidays and other special occasions, and the one I get to come home to afterward.  It was splendid to spend time with everyone, and I'm always so grateful for my beautiful wife, and the knowledge that I have that we will be together forever and always thanks to that most awesome Plan.

Happy Thanksgibing back!

* In his defense, he is reportedly a fairly repentant former bully, so I don't really harbor any grudges or hard feelings, lo, these 15+ years later, but I'll take my victories as they come.